Cognito CX

Documentation

Getting started with Cognito CX.

Install and permissions

Install the app for your platform from the Download page (macOS 12 Monterey or later; Windows 10 version 2004 or later). On first launch, grant:

  • Microphone — to transcribe your side of the conversation.
  • System Audio Recording (macOS 14.2 or later) — to transcribe the other participants from your computer’s audio output.

Other participants on macOS 12 to 14.1

These macOS versions cannot hand another app’s audio to Cognito CX directly. Install a loopback audio device such as BlackHole 2ch (free, from Existential Audio) and route your meeting audio to it. Cognito CX never installs drivers or changes your sound settings.

  1. Install BlackHole 2ch (an administrator password is required).
  2. Open Audio MIDI Setup, choose + › Create Multi-Output Device, and tick your headphones or speakers and BlackHole 2ch (headphones/speakers first, Drift Correction on for BlackHole).
  3. Select that Multi-Output Device as your sound output, or as the speaker in Zoom, Teams or Meet. You still hear the call; BlackHole receives a copy.
  4. Use headphones where possible — with open speakers your microphone also picks up the other participants.
  5. In Cognito CX, the Start page shows “loopback capture” when the route is working. Switch your output back at any time to undo.

Transcription runs on your device. The first launch downloads a speech model.

Activate your account

Sign in from the app’s Account screen. The app stores a signed license on your device so it keeps working offline for a grace period. Manage devices at Account › Devices on this website.

Connect an AI provider

Open AI Settings, choose OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter, paste your API key and select a model. Add a fallback model from a second provider if you can. Press Test connection for each. Keys are stored in your operating system keychain and are never shown again in the app.

Set a per-meeting token limit and, if you configure model prices, a monthly spending limit. Local models (Ollama, LM Studio) are coming soon.

Prepare a meeting

Create a meeting with a title, participants, goal and any boundaries. Paste notes or import .txt, .md, .pdf, .doc or .docx files. Review the extracted text, then mark each source as a verified fact or a note, and as confidential if it must not be sent to a cloud provider.

During the meeting

Press Listen. When a question is detected, the copilot shows what they are asking, a possible interpretation and a suggested response with sources. Use the one-click actions for more. You can pin, dismiss or revisit any suggestion. Nothing is ever spoken or sent for you.

The header shows capture status, the active AI route (including when the fallback is in use), and the privacy indicator for where meeting context is going.

Floating copilot

Detach the copilot into its own window with Float. Adjust opacity (25–100%) from the header, pin it always on top, and switch between compact, expanded and focus modes. Screen-share privacy requests capture exclusion from the operating system and shows whether that is verified for your setup — it is never a guarantee.

Reports and exports

When you end a meeting (with confirmation), Cognito CX saves the summary, decisions, action items, open questions and preparation gaps to your local history. Export as Markdown, text or PDF from Reports.

Documentation · Cognito CX